Removable cover for cards bearing magnetic strips and bar codes on a rear surface of the card

ABSTRACT

A protective cover for cards that can conveniently be snapped into place on the back of the card and readily removed and replaced any number of times for convenience. Such a protective cover does not interfere with the use of the card. in addition, the protective cover protects the magnetic strip of the card or the bar codes of the card such that attempts to retrieve the information on the magnetic strips and the bar codes by radio frequency use is prevented.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cards carried by most people today bear magnetic strips and/or bar codeson the rear surface of the card. Since the cards are carried in numerouslocations upon the person, it is a given that such cards will eventuallybe abraded and scored such that the magnetic strips and/or the bar codeswill not work when placed in a machine for verification andidentification.

Such cards are used in virtually every type of business in existence andare primarily used for identification, medical information, financing,in general commerce, medical treatment, insurance information andidentification, and most especially in the purchase of gasoline andother common everyday goods and services.

In addition, there is wear problems with the ink on the front and backsurfaces of the cards that creates problems with identification and thelike.

This results in the user/owner having to replace the card and thisrequires that the card owner or servicer has to be contacted and a newcard mailed to the user. This entails time, but, the most egregious ofthe problems is the time that the user is without the card as he or shewaits for the arrival of the new card.

THE INVENTION

Thus, there is disclosed and claimed herein, a removable cover for cardsbearing magnetic strips and bar codes on a rear surface of the card. Thecard comprises a snap on edging wherein the snap on edging has a sidewall with a top edge and a bottom edge. The bottom edge has an interiorsurface, the interior surface having a plurality of perpendicular lippedprotrusions extending from it. The top edge has fixedly surmounted onit, a clear plastic cover.

Thus, there is provided a protective cover for cards that canconveniently be snapped into place on the back of the card and readilyremoved and replaced any number of times for convenience. Such aprotective cover does not interfere with the use of the card. Inaddition, the protective cover of this invention protects the magneticstrip of the card or the bar codes of the card such that attempts toretrieve the information on the magnetic strips and the bar codes byradio frequency use, is prevented.

This device differs from the prior art, in that, the use of theprotective covers as opposed to protective devices of the prior art meanthat less bulk is carried in purses, pockets and billfolds by the user.In addition, the plastic cover of the protective device can be imprintedwith advertising and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a full front view of a device of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a full back view of a device of this invention containing acredit card.

FIG. 3 is a full side view of a device of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a full cross sectional end view of a device of this inventiontaken through line A-A of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a full back view of a device of this invention showingimprinting thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now to a full description of the device of this invention, thereis shown a removable cover 1 for cards 9 (FIG. 4) that bear magneticstrips 10 (FIG. 5) and/or bar codes on a rear surface of the card. Thereis shown a snap edge 2 and a clear plastic cover 3. The snap edge 2 hasa side wall 4 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, that has a top edge 5 and abottom edge 6. (FIG. 4).

The bottom edge 6 has an interior surface 7 and there are a plurality ofperpendicular (perpendicular to the side wall) lipped protrusions 8,extending from the side wall interior surface 7. The card 9 with themagnetic strip 10 facing the clear plastic cover 3 is inserted into thecover 3 and the lipped protrusions 8 slip over the edge 11 of the card 9and hold the cover 3 in place on the card.

In this manner, the information on the card 9 is protected from abrasionand scoring.

What is claimed is:
 1. A removable cover for cards bearing magneticstrips and bar codes on a rear surface of the card, comprising: a. asnap on edging, said snap on edging having a side wall with a top edgeand a bottom edge; b. said bottom edge having an interior surface, saidinterior surface having a plurality of perpendicular lipped protrusionsextending therefrom; the top edge having fixedly surmounted thereon, aclear plastic cover.
 2. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim1, wherein the clear plastic cover is colorless.
 3. A removable coverfor cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clear plastic cover iscolored.
 4. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe snap on edge is colorless.
 5. A removable cover for cards as claimedin claim 1, wherein the snap on edge is colored.
 6. A removable coverfor cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic cover is a securitycover that limits radio frequency identification access.
 7. A removablecover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastic cover has asecurity strip placed thereon that is a security strip that limits radiofrequency identification access.
 8. A removable cover for cards asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the perpendicular lippedprotrusions extending from the bottom edge of the side wall is in therange of from 0.010 to about 0.020 inches.
 9. A removable cover forcards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the perpendicularlipped protrusions extending from the bottom edge of the side wall is inthe range of from about 0.08 to about 0.12 inches.
 10. A removable coverfor cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of the removablecover is in the range of about 0.045 to about 0.050 inches, includingthe clear plastic cover.
 11. A removable cover for cards as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the thickness of the clear plastic cover is in therange of about 0.001 to about 0.003 inches.
 12. A removable cover forcards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is aluminum. 13.A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the securitystrip is lead.
 14. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7wherein the security strip is a polymeric plastic containing aluminum.15. A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein thesecurity strip is a polymeric plastic containing lead.
 16. A removablecover for cards as claimed in claim 7 wherein the security strip is acoating containing aluminum.
 17. A removable cover for cards as claimedin claim 7 wherein the security strip is a coating containing lead. 18.A removable cover for cards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the clearplastic cover is imprinted.
 19. A removable cover for cards as claimedin claim 18, wherein the imprinting is advertising.